Monday, January 9, 2012

Potato Quesadillas with Homemade Wheat Tortillas

Happy New Year, all you Gregorian calendar users! I'd like to promise that I will blog more this year, but with 3 major projects on the go I know I would never be able to keep that promise. I do have some goals for the blog, though. My passion right now is baking and trying to make vegan baked goods accessible to all home bakers. That being said, my menus need a real kick in the pants these days so I would like get some new dishes up as well. This recipe is sort of a mix of these two goals, so enjoy!

Wheat Tortillas (makes twelve 12-14" tortillas)This recipe is veganized from Peter Reinhart's Crust and Crumb. It is rather similar to the recipe I posted here, but has a bit more fat. I like his method, and made these up after I finished my bread baking. I'm not sure it's worth heating up the oven just for these, so use a cast iron skillet if you're not already baking. I baked up six, and put the remaining dough in the freezer for another day.
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5 lbs bread flour
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 6 oz vegetable shortening
- 1.5 cups warm water

METHOD
1. Mix flour and salt, then cut the shortening in. Add water and work into a soft dough.
2. Divide into 12 equal balls, then flatten into discs. Cover with plastic and let sit for 30 mins.
3. Place a baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 500 degrees. On a floured surface, roll out a disc of dough into a 12 inch circle. Place in a towel to keep from drying out. Repeat with remaining discs (If the tortillas as well-floured, you can stack them six high).
4. Once the dough has rested a bit, you can stretch the tortillas even thinner by gently stretching them on the back of your knuckles, like you would with pizza dough. Work from the edges, not the centre.
5. With a spray bottle, spritz the stone with water. Place a tortilla on the stone (with your hands, or a baking peel) and bake for 30-60 seconds, until puffy but not crispy. Flip and repeat. You want the tortilla to bake, but not become hard and inflexible. Stack in a towel as they come out of the oven. Repeat with remaining dough.

METHOD
1. Boil the potato(es) until tender but not mushy (peel them if you want). Cool, then grate into a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients (not the tortillas, of course) and mix well.
2. Lightly brush a tortilla with oil or margarine, then flip over and place 1/6 of the filling over half of the tortilla. Fold in half and repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
3. Cook in a skillet over med to med-hi heat until both sides are golden brown and cheese has melted. Cut each tortillas into 3 wedges and serve immediately.